November 15, 2024
U.S. census records are one of the cornerstones of U.S. research. Since its inception in 1790 the census has been kept every ten years. Since 1850 each census has included the names and other information about all free Americans. Genealogists are never “done” researching in census records. Every new ancestor requires a dive back into the applicable census records to find out more about his or her life.
All of this means genealogists refer repeatedly to the various censuses as part of their family research. Each census asked different questions and was taken as of a different date. If you’re like me, I can never remember which census asked what. This month Family Tree Magazine has come to the rescue.
If you subscribe to Family Tree Magazine, you are probably aware that the November/December issue has a cheat sheet to the U.S. census. In one convenient fold-out sheet, the magazine has gathered useful information about various censuses.
Wondering how many children your great grandmother had? If great-grandmother was enumerated in 1900 or 1910, you can find a tally of how many children she had borne. Those censuses also show how many of the children a woman had borne were still living.
Not sure exactly when grandpa was naturalized? The 1920 census not only gives the date an immigrant arrived in the U.S., but it also lists the year he or she was naturalized (if they were).
These are exactly the sorts of information that it is easy to overlook if you don’t use a specific census frequently. The Family Tree Magazine cheat sheet provides this information plus information on places to find the various censuses and the date of the first census for each of the fifty states. An extra bonus is a listing of any state censuses taken by each state.
If you don’t have a subscription to Family Tree Magazine, I would recommend buying a copy of this issue at Barnes and Noble or another bookstore that sells periodicals. It is well worth the money.
Local libraries often have subscriptions to various genealogical periodicals so you may be able to access a copy there. You could also order a copy of the cheat sheet from the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) at the Allen County Public Library.
Once you have a copy of the census cheat sheet, you’ll want to keep it near your computer. I can guarantee it will come in handy any time you are researching the censuses. It’s hard to remember which census had which information. It’s easy to overlook pertinent information if you don’t realize that the census had a question about it. This cheat sheet is a short, easy-to-use source for all sorts of information about the censuses. Do whatever you need to get a copy of your own.
Carol Stetser
Researcher
Larimer County Genealogical Society